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Ahu del Mar
A Vivexian captain clinging to his uza culture, intending to conquer Bastion in hopes of fulfilling an ancient prophecy. Ahu del Mar (uza surname Oteika) Commodore of Vivexia, Captain of the VNS Will of the Storm Date of Birth: 1177 Est. (40 years old) Male Uza Appearance: Broad-shouldered, but not terribly tall, Ahu does not appear to be a remarkable specimen of Uza. He wears his dark brown hair long and well-groomed. His ears are short and pointed; his eyes a dull amber. The elaborate angular tattoo covering the upper portion of his face marks him as one of the Masked Tribe. His formal attire consists of the black and gold coat, helmet and boots of a Vivexian Commodore. However, he much prefers wearing simple, ample and light clothes, most often a white tunic and sandals. Although he is no great warrior, Ahu never leaves his room without his trusted kukris, traditional weapons from his homeland. Personality: The Commodore Del Mar is described by his fellow officers as a hard-working and tenacious man, despite appearances that paint him as a slow to act dreamer. Indeed, to establish himself as a champion of Vivexia, Ahu had to demonstrate his loyalty times and times again: no victory on the seas was easy, no mission in the hinterlands relaxing. Even when a dirty job was asked of him, the uza obliged, without even a hint of a sneer. Yet, Ahu never fully took the habits of a warrior or a senior officer. He is not only compassionate towards his Men, but also towards his enemies, as if he didn't quite understand hate or contempt displayed by others. Furthermore, Ahu has always prefered relaxation and art to war games and military training; he practices several forms of meditation, as well as painting, botany and cooking. Some people easily get angry over this uza's air of carelessness, wrongfully believing that he considers himself above their concerns...until he reveals his insight on a given situation, claiming that he is not indifferent, but rather working on reaching a harmonious, imaginative solution. Thus he may be seen by some as a sage with otherwordly wisdom, and by others as a creative and free spirit; the truth being that Ahu is simply a man that has accepted his place in the universe, and has learned to perceive the potential in all things according to their nature. History: ' '''In the land of Vivexia, no man could have gained the position of Commodore and held it for so long simply by merit of having a few good friends in high places; and it was no less true for Ahu. He was born about 40 years ago as Ahu Oteika, among the Uza of the Masked Tribe. His father and mother were the chiefs of the clan. He is old enough to remember the skirmishes at the egde of the War of the Three Chimeras. He also lived through the period of famine that started in the last years of the war. As a teenager, Ahu, who had met representatives from Vivexia on several occasions, decided to leave the Masked Tribe in order to join the imperial army, as many other uza had done. In the following years, he helped his family survive the best he could by sending the best part of his salary back to his homeland. During that time, Ahu served Vivexia in the Imperial Navy, as part of a fleet tasked with controlling the numerous pirates who had risen in the chaos of the last war. The uza finally earned his citizenship in 1197 thanks to an act of bravery which led to the capture of a strategically located neutral port on the western coast. Captain Ahu (later Commodore) took on a Vivexian surname that day, ''del Mar, meaning "of the Sea", but he never forwent his heritage. Ahu's life took an unexpected turn in the year 1199, as he was patrolling the Inner Sea. Having been informed of the presence of a very rare spice in the vicinity by travelling traders, Ahu disembarked on a rather univinting shore with some of his men. Following his instinct, as well as unusual signs of Fate, the uza discovered a hidden cave, and inside the cave a stash of worn scrolls written in Elder symbols. Perplexed, yet relieved that he had not been affected by one of their legendary curses, Ahu returned to Vivexia in search of an expert of all things Elder. Once the scrolls were translated, the captain couldn't believe his ears. The scrolls held a prophecy, and that prophecy closely matched a folk tale of the Uza! Ahu returned to the Central Grasslands to verify his theory. As he spoke to the Grandfathers and Grandmothers of the Masked Tribe, they assured him that there was no myth about these Elders, no story of a meeting between Uza and an ancient race from the Sea. And yet the folk tale of his youth, which he always thought to be a creative work of superstition, told the exact same thing as the fabulous scrolls of the Elders, albeit in different tone and words. As he interpreted it, it spoke of a dance between Heaven and Earth, Light and Darkness, as a demented king, the heir of an ancient line of tyrants, rose to power in a distant land he could only recognize as Bastion. A hero of the Uza is fated to unite the different races and nations against this Mad King and, by striking him down, bring about a thousand years of peace to the war torn continent. Troubled by the implications of these two accounts, Ahu made sure to keep an eye on the situation in Bastion ever since... Advantages: '''Insight, Grass-Mage (2), VNS Will of the Storm, Might of Vivexia, Kukri Fighting '''Related Story Elements: Uza, Masked Tribe of the Uza, Grass Magic, The Elder Prophecy